More than 100 second- and third-graders from Bennett-Kew Elementary were surprised with new bikes by LA Chargers players and cheerleaders on Dec. 10. Five winners of an essay competition were honored and presented with bikes as expected, but the surprise came when all students in the contest received neon-colored bikes, helmets and locks.
Joel Diaz, a Baldwin Park Adult and Community Education (BPACE) student known for his culinary skills and creativity, has made history for crafting a barbeque chicken salad that pulled in record-breaking sales at two cafés run by the culinary program. Diaz and his classmates sold 65 lunch specials and earned $590, the highest revenue in one day at the Main Street and District cafés since opening in 1991.
Durfee and LeGore schools have shown especially strong improvements in scores on state standardized tests over the last four years – with Durfee increasing 20 percentage points and LeGore increasing 10 percentage points, according to California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CASCPP) data.
Paramount Unified graduates increased college enrollment by 8 percentage points when 69 percent of 2019 graduates enrolled in colleges this fall as the District continues to strengthen programs that lead to college success. The new high of students enrolled in four-year or two-year colleges is up from 61 percent a year ago. The District also set a new record for students enrolled in the California State University (CSU) system after 493 graduates from the summer graduating class were admitted to the system.
Inglewood Unified on Nov. 14 received the first $10 million installment from the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to mitigate the impact of airplane noise on students, part of a $44 million program launched in 2015 to improve schools along Los Angeles International Airport flight paths. In October, the Board of Airport Commissioners approved a total of $30 million to sound insulate three schools by early 2021. The money will reimburse the District for improvements underway at Woodworth-Monroe TK-8 Magnet Academy and Oak Street Elementary School in addition to upcoming projects at Morningside High School.
More than 84 Gilbert School students walked the Fullerton College campus during a Nov. 22 instructional tour led by Fullerton College Student Ambassadors, who provided information about programs, services and campus life from a student perspective.
Bonita Unified School District is being recognized by the Inland News Group as one of 2019’s Top 35 Workplaces in the Inland Empire. Over 1,200 survey responses from more than 600 employees at all 13 Bonita Unified schools reflected a positive culture at Bonita, with faculty and staff relishing the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students and help them realize their potential, the camaraderie of co-workers and being rewarded for good work. The Bonita Unified Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association Bonita Chapter said that they were proud to see Bonita recognized and that they are appreciative of everyone who made the recognition possible.
Monrovia Unified representatives – including members of the Board of Education – are giving presentations on how intervention and support programs build stronger ties with parents to boost student achievement during the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA) 2019 Annual Education Conference and Trade Show held Dec. 5-7 at the San Diego Convention Center. The conference features over 120 workshops on topics that span teaching and learning, to advocacy, engagement and community relations; equity, opportunity and access; wellness and safety; and funding, finance and facilities.
More than 90 students from across Buena Park School District took to the Whitaker School stage to showcase their public speaking skills during the District’s inaugural speech competition on Nov. 16. Highlights included Emery fourth-grader Apollo Meneses, who won first place in storytelling for delivering a spirited telling of the Greek legend of Adonis complete with sound effects.
Plymouth Elementary students demonstrated how they created animated characters for digital stories and video games during the school’s annual Epic Build Showcase on Nov. 15, an event that celebrated the school’s computer science immersion program, Code to the Future. Through Code to the Future, students work with block-based coding and JavaScript and engage in hands-on programming, robotics and analog activities.